Instinct
by kkckat3
Summary: Something is wrong, Cassie can feel it. And whatever that something is it wants her to discover the truth, and it's not above hurting Cassie to get what it wants. My retake of episode 8, Beneath.


**So this story has been rumbling through my mind and I decided I would write it down instead of sleeping…I will probably regret that in the morning but whatever. I love The Secret Circle and am having a hard time finding good stories so if you know of any, I would love to read them. This story is the love child of the spell where Diana's dad is drowning Adam's dad and the concept of episode 8, Beneath. Reviews are loved! Thanks for reading**.**-** **Kkckat3**

The house was elegant, yet cozy, and Cassie could understand Faye's love for her grandfather if he was anything like his house. She imagined him a grey haired man with a smile that would warm the heart, quite the opposite of Faye's mother's tight lipped smile that seemed more a grimace than a grin. There was no doubt that he was a good man as he was such close friends with her grandmother and Cassie had no doubts about her grandmother's ability to see the true nature of a person. The thought of her grandmother made her think of the reason they were currently in the situation they were in: spending the night in Faye's grandfather's house.

Her grandmother had texted her saying she was back home and Cassie couldn't help the relief this text brought. However she also couldn't shake a feeling that something was not right and her grandmother was not telling her something. Mostly she felt a deep seated feeling of discomfort and indescribable wrongness that had penetrated her heart the minute they had walked into the house and concluded Faye's grandfather was not home. This discomfort constricted her chest, making it difficult to breath, and chewed at her stomach despite her attempts to reason it away, making her jump and looking over her shoulder with every noise and movement.

Her friends, however, did not seem to be affected as she was as they settled on the couch, drinking, and propositioning a game of truth or dare. Jake looked at her in concern as she continued to stand in the doorway and she quickly morphed her face into a façade of her normal smile. Jake seemed to accept it as true, and she joined the others on the couch, taking the offered drink from a slightly tipsy Diana and trying to ignore Adam's questioning glance and Faye's jealous glare. Marissa on the other hand was pouring the alcohol down her throat barely taking time to swallow as she tried to douse her heartache. Cassie cautiously sipped her drink, her eyes skimming around the room, not paying attention to the words being said, the looks of jealousy, regret, and sorrow being thrown haphazardly by the residing witches. It was as though she was in a trance, unable to focus her attention, as though someone or something had coated her mind and body in wax, leaving her unable to think, to move and covering the world in a blurry glaze.

She heard her name, but she dismissed it as her attention focused on the window, something ripping a hook into her existence and drawing her outside. She needed to go outside, but her body refused to move in accordance with this new desire. Her fingers tickled with an awareness like that of immersion in heat after being frozen, a feeling that was both familiar and unusual. Realization slowly slugged through her mind as she connected the feeling in her fingers with that of when she used magic. But she was not using magic. Her brain tried to wrap itself around what was happening but it was unable to focus on anything other than the window and the need to go outside and her inability to do so.

Suddenly the world snapped back into focus, hurting her eyes with its sharpness as she turned her head and realized someone had once again said her name. The others were staring at her with varying degrees of concern and she once again pulled her face into her false smile.

"I'm sorry what?" she asked, embarrassed that she had allowed herself to ignore everyone and confused as to what had caused her unawareness.

"If you don't wanna play all you had to do was say so. I mean it's alright if you're scared" Faye smirked. Cassie looked confused before remembering the others had been playing Truth or Dare.

"Oh. No I'm not scared" Cassie claimed confidently, though her insides squirmed at the rush of possibilities that overran her mind.

"Okay. Truth or Dare" Diana asked tilting her chin up cockily, her eyes narrowed.

Cassie paused looking toward Adam, whose gaze was of curiosity with an underlying look of concern, then to Faye who had one eyebrow raised in challenge. That sealed her answer, "Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Jake" Diana smirked.

Cassie raised her eyebrows, not expecting the dare she had received; although the longer she looked at Diana the more she understood the brunette's insecurities. She felt threatened by Cassie because she believed Adam was in love with the blonde, despite his insistent denial. And this was her way of self-defense, trying to harm Adam by making him watch Cassie and Jake kiss, and make Cassie uncomfortable as she knew of the girl's feelings towards both boys. Cassie was unsure of how she felt about this unexpected dare. Sure a kiss was just a kiss, but she didn't want Jake to get the wrong impression if she did kiss him. At first he had seemed interesting, but recently she had been feeling uncomfortable around him, almost like the feeling she had when she entered this house: that everything was not as it seemed, and this made her reluctant to trust the tall blonde boy.

And then there was Adam. When she had met him she had felt an instant connection as he helped her come to terms with her abilities. Not to mention his father's insistence that their love was written in the stars. When she was around Adam life seemed more real and she felt right, balanced. She knew things were difficult for Adam including his strained relationship with his father and his broken relationship with Diana and because of that she knew she had to keep her feelings towards him concealed for the time being.

"Okay" she firmly said, agreeing with Diana's dare and trying to convince herself it would be okay. She shifted her eyes towards Adam, but his head was turned, unable to look at her, she realized with a pain in her chest. She ducked her heard and shut her eyes, pushing away her tears and her feelings of uncertainty and regret, before opening them with determination and taking a deep cleansing breath. But as she tried to take another breath, she found she couldn't. It's just nerves, she told herself attempting to take another breath, but when she found she couldn't panic took over, her hands shaking as she opened her mouth trying to suck in air.

"Is she crying? You don't have to kiss him, you know" she heard Faye ask with a chuckle, which seemed to get everyone's attention.

"Cassie? You okay?" Cassie could hear the concern in Diana's question, but she was unable to answer or move, focusing on trying to get a breath into her lungs.

"Cassie!" Adam's anxious voice suddenly came from close to her right and she felt a hand pull her chin up and her eyes met Adam's hazel ones staring back with an intensity that would have made her heart stop if not for the fact that she was a little preoccupied trying to breathe. By now the others had realized something serious was wrong and alarm filled the room.

Cassie tried again to take a breath, but the feeling of constriction in her chest had been replaced with a matter actually occupying her lungs causing her to widen her eyes in shock and start to cough. Weak coughs struggled out of her lungs pulling with them mouthfuls of water which was replaced as soon as it was coughed up. Disbelief wracked her brain as she tried to fight this battle for breath. She was drowning on land!

"Oh my god, Cassie!" Diana screamed.

"What's wrong with her?" Marissa asked.

"Well obviously she's drowning!" Faye replied without sarcasm, her voice shaking.

"We're witches! We can stop this" Jake inputted confidently.

"How? I've never seen anything like this!" Faye shrieked shaking her head and staring at Cassie in confusion and fear.

"There has to be something we can do"

"Wait! The book!" Diana cried out, getting up and running off to retrieve her family's grimoire.

Cassie felt a hand rubbing circles on her back and Adam's voice spoke comforting words in her ear as she coughed up lungfuls of water. Her heard her heart beat pulsing in her ears as her vision swam while she tried focusing on Adam's words and the hand rubbing soothing circles on her back, but her senses were slurring and she could feel herself slipping, her body giving up. The edge of her vision was drenched in an ever growing darkness and she thought of all the things she would never do, never say. With one of her shaking hands she reached towards Adam and with some effort grabbed his other hand, squeezing it tight, trying to convey her thoughts and feelings through her fingers.

"You're gonna be okay, Cassie. It's going to be okay" Adam spoke in her ear, his breath hot against her skin and she squeezed his hand harder as tears started streaming down her face. Holding her closer as she continued to cough up water, he squeezed her hand and opened his mouth, ready to say something.

"Found it!" exclaimed Diana and she held up the book in joy, quickly moving closer so that the other's could read it and begin the spell.

As they repeated the words, Cassie felt the filling of her lungs stop, and with each new cough she was able to take in more air. The air was cool as it entered her deprived lungs and as she finally took her first full breaths she promptly passed out in exhaustion on Adam's shoulder, knowing she was safe and in caring hands.


End file.
